Current Affairs 02nd September 2021| Current Affairs News

 CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

World Coconut Day – Observed on Sep 02

• Every year on September 2, the World Coconut Day is celebrated.
• The day is especially observed in Asian and Pacific nations, which are home to most of the world’s coconut producing areas and production centers.
• World Coconut Day is observed by increasing public awareness about the health and commercial benefits of coconut.
• Coconut is being planted in tropical places for millions of years and has benefited humanity in a variety of ways.
• The entire globe celebrates one of nature’s healthiest fruits on this day.
• So, on this World Coconut Day, let’s look at some of the health advantages of coconut.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Prez Kovind to award ‘President’s Colour’ to Indian Naval Aviation 

• President Ram Nath Kovind will award the President’s Colour to Indian Naval Aviation at the ceremonial parade to be held at INS Hansa in Goa on 6th September.
• The President’s Colour is the highest honour bestowed on a military unit in recognition of its exceptional service to the nation.
• Indian Naval Aviation came into being with acquisition of the first Seal and aircraft on 13th January 1951.
• Currently, Indian Naval Aviation boasts of nine air stations and three naval air enclaves.
• Over the past seven decades, it has transformed into a modern, technologically advanced and highly potent force with more than 250 aircraft comprising Carrier-borne fighters, maritime reconnaissance aircraft, helicopters and remotely piloted aircraft.
• The Fleet Air Arm can support naval operations in all three dimensions and will remain the first responder for maritime surveillance and for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief in the Indian Ocean Region.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

FM Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurates the project – ‘My Pad, My Right’ in Tripura

• In Tripura, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated a project called ‘My Pad, My Right’ initiated by NABARD and NABFOUNDATION at Killa village in Gomati district on the second and concluding day of her visit to the state.
• The project aims to bring livelihood and menstrual hygiene closer to rural women by way of grant, wage support and capital equipment.
• The Union Minister also flagged off the mobile ATM van of Tripura State Co-Operative Bank Limited which will cover all Gram Panchayats and Village Committees of South Tripura District.
• Ms Sitharaman also interacted with women Self-Help Group members under the Micro-Enterprise Development Programme (MEDP) of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development.

About Tripura:

• Capital: Agartala
• Governor: Ramesh Bais
• Chief minister: Biplab Kumar Deb
• National Parks: Clouded LeopardNational Park, Bison National Park

Punjab govt Launches ‘Mera Kaam Mera Maan’ Scheme to Help Unemployed Youth

• The Punjab Cabinet gave nod to a new scheme which will help the unemployed youth in the state to hone their skills and increase their chances of getting a job.
• These youngsters will be given short-term skill training free of cost under the ”Mera Kaam Mera Maan (MKMM)” scheme of the state government.
• The cabinet, which met here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, has decided to roll out the scheme from the current fiscal on a pilot basis for construction workers and their wards.
• A target of 30,000 beneficiaries has been proposed, at a cost of Rs.90 crore, to be covered under this pilot project.
• The scheme also provides an employment assistance allowance of Rs.2, 500 per month for a period of 12 months from the start of the training course, which will be conducted at Punjab Skill Development Mission training centers.

About Punjab:

• Capital: Chandigarh
• Governor:  P. Singh Badnore
• Chief minister: Amarinder Singh
• National parks: Bir Moti Bagh National Park.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

Morgan Stanley estimates India GDP growth estimate at 10.5% for FY22

• Morgan Stanley maintained its estimate of India GDP growth at 10.5 per cent for FY2022 versus the general consensus of 9.2 per cent.
• GDP growth is expected to move into on a positive territory two-year CAGR basis from QE September.
• Morgan Stanley, key risks to watch are the pace of vaccination (any slowdown could increase risks) and the trend in Covid-19 cases — potential re-acceleration, threat from new variants and restrictions on activity.
• GDP grew 20.1 per cent year-on-year in the quarter ending June.
• On a two-year CAGR basis, real GDP contracted 4.7 per cent in QE June versus plus 2.3 per cent in QE March.

About Morgan Stanley:

• Morgan Stanley is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered at 1585 Broadway in the Morgan Stanley Building, Midtown Manhattan, New York City.
• CEO: James P. Gorman
• Headquarters: New York, New York, United States

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING NEWS

SBI launches a floating ATM on Dal Lake in J&K’s Srinagar

• The State Bank of India (SBI) has opened a floating ATM on Dal Lake in Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar for the convenience of locals and tourists.
• The floating ATM was inaugurated on August 16 by SBI Chairman Dinesh Khare.
• The bank stated that the ATM, besides fulfilling a long-standing need, will add attraction to the charm of Srinagar.
• “SBI opened an ATM on a Houseboat at #DalLake, Srinagar for the convenience of locals and tourists.
• It was inaugurated by the Chairman, SBI, on August 16.
• The floating ATM in the popular Dal Lake fulfils a long-standing need and will be an added attraction to the charm of Srinagar”.

Axis Bank ties up with BharatPe for PoS business of Bharat Pe named BharatSwipe

• Private sector lender Axis Bank has tied up with BharatPe to expand its merchant acquiring business in the country.
• Axis Bank will be the acquiring bank for BharatPe’s point of sale (PoS) business, BharatSwipe, and will provide acceptance of credit and debit cards for merchants associated with BharatPe.
• With over 600,000 PoS terminals spread across the entire country, Axis Bank is the third largest PoS acquiring bank in the payments acceptance business and processed around Rs 19,000 crore worth of volumes in a month.
• On the other hand, BharatPe’s PoS machine BharatSwipe has an installed base of 100,000 across 16 cities, processing around Rs 1,400 crore per month.
• BharatPe clocked an annualised transaction value of $2 billion on PoS terminals at the end of FY21.
• The company has set a target of $6 billion in transaction processed value (TPV) by FY22.

About BharatPe:

• Resilient Innovations Private Limited (“BharatPe”) is a private company limited engaged in the business of facilitating a suite of financial services to merchants through its digital platform, on software as a service model, and providing other value-added services to such merchants.
• BharatPe is solving for ease of doing business.
• Payments are their first product and the plan is to be the utility app for 10 Mn+ offline retailers in India for all their business needs.
• Co – Founded in 2018 by CEO Ashneer Grover and COO Shashvat Nakrani, BharatPe has its head office in Delhi.

About Axis Bank:

• Axis Bank Limited is an Indian banking and financial services company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• It sells financial services to large and mid-size companies, SMEs and retail businesses.
• As of 30 June 2016, 30.81% shares are owned by the promoters and the promoter group.
• CEO: Amitabh Chaudhry
• Headquarters: Mumbai

Google Pay users can take FD benefits of Equitas SFB without a bank account

• Google Pay users can take the benefits of fixed deposit rates offered by Equitas Small Finance Bank by booking FD on the payments platform without opening a bank account.
• The bank stated it has been offering this initiative by connecting APIs built by fintech infrastructure provider Setu for Equitas Bank.
• In an industry-first, consumers can through the Google Pay app book high-interest rate FDs fully digitally, without needing to open a savings account with Equitas Bank on its spot integrated with the Google Pay platform.
• The lender informed that customers can earn returns of up to 6.35 per cent for an FD of one year, substantially higher than many other savings options.
• As an RBI scheduled commercial bank, deposits in Equitas are covered by a deposit guarantee of up to Rs 5 lakh per depositor.
• To book an FD on Google Pay, the user will have to search for the Equitas Bank spot under the ‘Business and bills’

About Equitas Small Finance Bank:

• Equitas Small Finance Bank is a small finance bank founded in 2016 as a microfinance lender.
• The bank has its headquarters in Chennai, and is a subsidiary of holding company Equitas Holdings Ltd.
• Headquarters: Chennai

About Google Pay:

• Google Pay is a digital wallet platform and online payment system developed by Google to power in-app, online, and in-person contactless purchases on mobile devices, enabling users to make payments with Android phones, tablets, or watches.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENT AND RESIGNATION NEWS

Adidas named Mirabai Chanu for its ‘Stay in Play’ campaign

• German footwear and accessories major Adidas stated it has roped in Tokyo Olympic Silver-medalist Mirabai Chanu as the face of its ”Stay in Play” campaign for its latest product innovation designed to keep more menstruating women in sports.
• The new TechFit Period Proof tights, featuring an absorbent layer to help protect against leaks when worn with a tampon or pad.
• Such innovations showcase Adidas’ commitment to encourage and support women in sport.
• Adidas found that teenage girls are dropping out of sport at an alarming rate, with one of the key reasons being fear of period leakage.
• Using these insights, the brand set out to create a product that helps athletes stay in sport throughout their cycle by giving them an added layer of protection”.

About Adidas:

• Adidas AG is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories.
• It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the world, after Nike.
• Headquarters: Herzogenaurach, Germany
• CEO: Kasper Rørsted

Pankaj Kumar Singh appointed as new BSF Director General

• Pankaj Kumar Singh, a 1988-batch IPS officer, took over as the new director general (DG) of the Border Security Force while his batch-mate Sanjay Arora assumed charge of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).
• Singh, from the Rajasthan cadre of the IPS, has been serving as the special DG of the country’s largest border guarding force that mans over 6,300 km of Indian boundary with Pakistan and Bangladesh and has about 2.65 lakh personnel.

About BSF:

• The Border Security Force is India’s Primary border guarding organisation on its border with Pakistan and Bangladesh.
• Headquarters: New Delhi

Mahindra Finance appointed Raul Robello as new chief operating officer

• Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Ltd, which is part of the Mahindra Group, has appointed Raul Rebello as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO) with immediate effect.
• Rebello was appointed COO after Rajnish Agarwal’s moved to Mahindra Rural Housing Finance Ltd (MRHFL).
• A career banker, Raul has nearly two decades of experience in rural banking and financial inclusion.
• Before Mahindra Finance, he was with Axis Bank Ltd as EVP & head, rural lending and financial inclusion.

About Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Limited:

• Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Limited is a rural NBFC headquartered in Mumbai, India.
• It is amongst the top tractor financers in India and offers a wide range of financial products to address varied customer requirements.
• Headquarters: Mumbai

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Ramon Magsaysay Award 2021 – list of names announced

• Bangladesh vaccine scientist Firdausi Qadri and Pakistan micro financier (economist) Mohammad Amjad Saqib has been included in the list of five people to be awarded this year’s Ramon Magsaysay Award.
• The names of the winners of the Ramon Magsaysay Award, considered Asia’s Nobel Prize.
• Among the awardees is Firdousi Qadri of Bangladesh and Saqib of Pakistan, as well as Philippine fisheries and community environmentalist Roberto Ballon, American citizen Steven Munsi, who works for humanitarian work and help refugees, and Indonesian watch dock for investigative journalism.
• The winners will be formally awarded the Magsaysay Award during the November 28 event at the Ramon Magsaysay Centre in Manila.

About Dr.Qadri:

• Qadri, 70, has a doctorate from the prestigious University of Liverpool in the UK.
• He joined the International Centre for Research on Cholera in Dhaka in 1988.
• Dr Qadri is credited with developing an affordable anti-cholera vaccine and typhoid vaccine for adults, children, and infants.
• He has done a lot of work in slum areas of developed countries.

About Saqib:

• Saqib, a 64-year-old Pakistani activist, has developed the first interest-free microfinance program of its kind, ‘Akhuwat,’ which uses places of worship to provide zero-interest loans, recording an unprecedented loan repayment.
• Saqib is known for his intelligence and compassion, which enabled him to develop the largest microfinance institution in Pakistan.
• He believes that humanitarian aid and solidarity are the only ways to eradicate poverty.

Neurosurgeon Basant Misra bags prestigious AANS Award

• Odisha-born neurosurgeon Basant Kumar Misra has received the ‘International Lifetime Achievement Award in Neurosurgery’ conferred by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS).
• He is the first Indian to get this honour.

About Misra:

• Misra, a native of Bhubaneswar and son of noted economist and litterateur Baidyanath Misra, is currently the chief of surgery, head of the department of neurosurgery and Gamma knife radiosurgery, PD Hinduja Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Mumbai.

About the Award:

• “The award is actually recognition of the high quality medical care in India in the field of neurosurgery.
• The progress made in the country in the past one decade is phenomenal and on a par with the best in the world at a fraction of their cost,”

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SUMMITS & CONFERENCES

India Hosts 8th Meeting of Agricultural Experts of BIMSTEC Countries        

• On Aug 31, 2021, India hosted the 8th Meeting of Agriculture Experts of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Countries in New Delhi through Virtually.
• Dr Trilochan Mohapatra, Director General of Indian Council of Agricultural Research chaired the daylong meeting.
• Thanda Kyi, Deputy Director General, Department of Planning, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, Republic of the Union of Myanmar Co-Chaired the Meeting.
• During the Meeting, the discussions were held on transformations that are happening in the agriculture and food systems globally.
• The cooperation in the areas of high impact transboundary diseases of livestock and poultry; aquatic animal diseases and biosecurity in aquaculture and digitalization to promote precision farming was also discussed in the meeting.
• Addressing biosafety and biosecurity concerns and promoting digital agriculture along with the trade of technologies for developing resilient agriculture, food systems and value chains

About BIMSTEC :

• Founded: 6 June 1997
• Headquarters: Kathmandu, Nepal, Dhaka, Bangladesh
• BIMSTEC comprises seven Member States including five from South Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka), and two from Southeast Asia, including Myanmar and Thailand from South-East Asia coming together on one platform for cooperation in 14 key economic and social sectors of the economy.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

Competition Commission Clears T S Rajam Rubbers And Dhinarama Mobility’s Stake Acquisition In TVS Supply Chain Solutions

• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the acquisition of additional shareholding in TVS Supply Chain Solutions Pvt Ltd by TS Rajam Rubbers Pvt Ltd and Dhinrama Mobility Solution Pvt Ltd.
• The acquisition has been approved under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002.
• The proposed transaction will be carried out through a secondary purchase from CDPQ Private Equity Asia Pte. Ltd. (CDPQ).
• Both T S Rajam Rubbers and Dhinarama Mobility Solutions are owned and controlled by the T S Rajam family.
• The T S Rajam Family members are the promoters of the target (TVS Supply Chain Solutions).

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

Indian Navy and BEL sign contract for naval anti-drone system

• The Indian Navy has signed a contract with Navratna Defence public sector unit (PSU) Bharat Limited (BEL) for the supply of the first indigenous comprehensive Naval Anti Drone System (NADS), with both ‘hard kill’ and ‘soft kill’ capabilities.
• The NADS system is developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and manufactured by BEL.
• It is the first fully indigenously developed anti-drone system to be inducted by the Indian Navy.
• The NADS system is capable of instantly identifying and jamming micro drones and uses a laser-based kill mechanism against targets.
• The NADS uses the help of radar, electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensors and radio frequency (RF) detectors to detect and jam the micro drones.

About Indian Navy :

• Founded: 26 January 1950
• Headquarters : New Delhi
• Commander-in-Chief : President Ram Nath Kovind
• Chief of Defence Staff : General Bipin Rawat
• Chief of the Naval Staff : Admiral Karambir Singh
• Vice Chief of the Naval Staff : Vice Admiral Satish Namdeo Ghormade
• Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff : Vice Admiral Ravneet Singh

About BEL :

• Founded: 1954
• Headquarters: Bangalore
• Chairman & MD : Anandi Ramalingam

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

IIT Ropar develops plant-based air purifier machine “Ubreathe Life”

• Scientists of Indian Institutes of Technology, Ropar & Kanpur, and Faculty of Management Studies of Delhi University have jointly launched a living-plant based air purifier named “Ubreathe Life”.
• It will boost the air purification process in indoor spaces, such as hospitals, schools, offices and
• Ubreathe Life has been developed by the IIT Ropar incubated startup, Urban Air Laboratory.
• It has been incubated at IIT Ropar, which is a designated iHub – AWaDH (Agriculture and Water Technology Development Hub) by the Department of Science and Technology.
• It is the world’s first, state-of-the art ‘Smart Bio-Filter’ that can make breathing fresh.

Working Nature of Ubreathe Life technology :

• The Ubreathe Life technology works through air-purifying natural leafy plants.
• The room air interacts with leaves and goes to the soil-root zone where maximum pollutants are purified.
• Ubreathe Life effectively improves indoor air quality by removing particulate, gaseous and biological contaminants while increasing the oxygen levels in the indoor space through specific plants, UV disinfection and a stack of pre-filter, charcoal filter and HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter fitted in a specially designed wooden box,” .

Note :

• Ubreathe CEO : Sanjay Maurya

About IIT Ropar :

• Establishment : 2008
• Director : Rajeev Ahuja
• Located at : Punjab
• It is one of the eight newer Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) established by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India.

SpaceX Launches Ants, Avocados, Robot to Space Station

• A SpaceX shipment of ants, avocados and a human-sized robotic arm rocketed toward the International Space Station.
• The Dragon is carrying more than 4,800 pounds (2,170 kilograms) of supplies and experiments, and fresh food including avocados, lemons and even ice cream for the space station’s seven astronauts.
• The Girl Scouts are sending up ants, brine shrimp and plants as test subjects, while University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists are flying up seeds from mouse-ear cress, a small flowering weed used in genetic research.

Daily CA On Sep 01 :

• As part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development has decided to celebrate the POSHAN Maah across the nation throughout the month of September starting.
• As a part of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations to commemorate 75th Year of Independence, Union Minister of Ayush Sarbananda Sonowal, along with six Union Ministers, will launch the Yoga Break (Y-Break) mobile application at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.
• Madhya Pradesh government has launched the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 & With this, it has become the second state in the country to implement the policy after Karnataka.
• Ladakh Lieutenant Governor RK Mathur inaugurated a 2-Day Ladakh Nomadic Festival at Korzok Phu, Changthang region of eastern Ladakh.
• Himachal Pradesh has achieved a unique distinction of achieving cent percent target of first dose of Covid-19 vaccination above the age of 18 years.
• Moody’s Investors Service slashed India’s growth projection to 6 per cent for 2021 calendar year, from its earlier estimate of 13.9 per cent, and stated faster vaccination progress will be paramount in restricting economic losses to June quarter
• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has cleared the selection of Vartika Shukla as the next chairperson and managing director of navratna public sector enterprise– Engineers India Ltd (EIL).
• A Ladakh-based engineer has become the only Indian Honorary Member of the International Astronomical Union, along with ten others from around the world, joining a select list of 20 international experts.
• On Aug 29, 2021, The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Tabar participated in a Maritime Partnership Exercise with the Algerian Navy ship ‘Ezzadjer‘ off the Algerian coast, in the Mediterranean Sea.
• IIT Madras is developing an online platform called e-Source to tackle e-waste by linking various stakeholders in the formal and informal sectors.
• On Aug 28, 2021, The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully conducted the first hot test of the system demonstration model (SDM) of the Gaganyaan service module propulsion system.
• India’s first Quantum Computer Simulator (QSim) Toolkit was launched by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity).
• On August 25, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change notified the eco-sensitive zone of the Deepor Beel Wildlife Sanctuary on the south-western edge of Guwahati, Assam.
• Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur presented the first copy of the book titled Reflecting, Recollecting, Reconnecting to the Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu.
• Indian Grandmaster P Iniyan won the Noisiel International Open 2021 Chess Tournament in Noisiel, France.
• On Aug 31, 2021, Indian shooter Singhraj Adana won the bronze medal in the P1 Men’s 10m Air Pistol SH1 final in Tokyo Paralympics 2020.
• On Aug 31, 2021, In the men’s high jump T63 event, Indian paralympic high jumpers Mariyappan Thangavelu and Sharad Kumar won a silver and bronze respectively at the Tokyo Paralympics 2020.
• On Aug 31, 2021, The South Africa pacer Dale Steyn, announced his retirement from all forms of cricket ending his 20 year long cricket journey.
• On Aug 30, 2021, Former Mumbai cricketer and a more renowned coach in the Indian cricket fraternity Vasoo Paranjape passed away.

Daily CA On Sep 02 :

• Every year on September 2, the World Coconut Day is celebrated by increasing public awareness about the health and commercial benefits of coconut.
• President Ram Nath Kovind will award the President’s Colour to Indian Naval Aviation at the ceremonial parade to be held at INS Hansa in Goa on 6th September.
• In Tripura, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated a project called ‘My Pad, My Right’ initiated by NABARD and NABFOUNDATION at Killa village in Gomati district on the second and concluding day of her visit to the state.
• The Punjab Cabinet Launches ‘Mera Kaam Mera Maan’ Scheme to Help Unemployed Youth
• Morgan Stanley maintained its estimate of India GDP growth at 10.5 per cent for FY2022 versus the general consensus of 9.2 per cent.
• The State Bank of India (SBI) has opened a floating ATM on Dal Lake in Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar for the convenience of locals and tourists.
• Private sector lender Axis Bank has tied up with BharatPe to expand its merchant acquiring business in the country.
• Google Pay users can take the benefits of fixed deposit rates offered by Equitas Small Finance Bank by booking FD on the payments platform without opening a bank account.
• German footwear and accessories major Adidas stated it has roped in Tokyo Olympic Silver-medalist Mirabai Chanu as the face of its ”Stay in Play” campaign for its latest product innovation designed to keep more menstruating women in sports.
• Pankaj Kumar Singh, a 1988-batch IPS officer, took over as the new director general (DG) of the Border Security Force while his batch-mate Sanjay Arora assumed charge of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).
• Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Ltd, which is part of the Mahindra Group, has appointed Raul Rebello as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO) with immediate effect.
• Bangladesh vaccine scientist Firdausi Qadri and Pakistan micro financier (economist) Mohammad Amjad Saqib has been included in the list of five people to be awarded this year’s Ramon Magsaysay Award.
• Odisha-born neurosurgeon Basant Kumar Misra has received the ‘International Lifetime Achievement Award in Neurosurgery’ conferred by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS).
• On Aug 31, 2021, India hosted the 8th Meeting of Agriculture Experts of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Countries in New Delhi through Virtually.
• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the acquisition of additional shareholding in TVS Supply Chain Solutions Pvt Ltd by TS Rajam Rubbers Pvt Ltd and Dhinrama Mobility Solution Pvt Ltd.
• The Indian Navy has signed a contract with Navratna Defence public sector unit (PSU) Bharat Limited (BEL) for the supply of the first indigenous comprehensive Naval Anti Drone System (NADS), with both ‘hard kill’ and ‘soft kill’ capabilities.
• Scientists of Indian Institutes of Technology, Ropar & Kanpur, and Faculty of Management Studies of Delhi University have jointly launched a living-plant based air purifier named “Ubreathe Life”.
• A SpaceX shipment of ants, avocados and a human-sized robotic arm rocketed toward the International Space Station.